1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to porcelain figurines, and more particularly to porcelain figurines which have the appearance of being made of marble.
Statuettes and figurines made of marble, while beautiful and sturdy, are heavy and very expensive due to the high price of the marble as well as the cost of having the piece hand sculpted.
A need has therefore arisen for figurines which, while appearing to have been hand sculpted from marble, in fact are made of porcelain using conventional molds. Objects so constructed are significantly less expensive and lighter in weight than those made from solid marble but yet possess exceptional beauty.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,542 to Perantoni et al. discloses a method of producing a marble-like porcelain enamel surface. A key disadvantage of objects made by this method is that only the surface of the object is marbleized; the remainder of the object remains non-marbleized. This gives the object a cheap, painted appearance, and fails to meet consumer demand for authentic-looking, marble-like figurines. Additionally, as with any surface coating, it is vulnerable to wearing off, being scraped, chipped, etc. Another disadvantage with marbleizing only the surface of the object is the fact the design can be easily replicated. This characteristic is unpopular to many consumers who desire art objects which are individual, original, and unique, rather than those which appear to have been mass produced.
Other U.S. patents uncovered disclose a process for making marbleized pottery wherein a basic cement slurry and a colored slurry are poured into a rotating mold such that each stream of slurry maintains its color integrity (U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,078 to Allen et al); and a process for making china or ceramic sanitary wear having a marbleized appearance (U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,229 to Anderson). Other U.S. patents which represent the state of the art are U.S. Pat. No. 97,004 to Volckmann; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,657,997 to Hyten. None however, describe or suggest the process according to this invention.